Stars Above The Lighthouse - Steven, Connie
by Tiggercat12
Summary: Steven asked Connie to join him atop the lighthouse tonight. She doesn't know why, and he hasn't talked. But it must be important. [Connverse fluff]


The night was clear and bright as Steven and Connie leaned against the rail of the lighthouse. They hadn't talked much since Connie showed up—Steven had asked her specifically to come here tonight. She hadn't asked why, just figured it would be a normal night watching the stars. But "normal" involved talking. This was, strange to her. She wasn't sure if she should speak up or wait for Steven to say something first. So, she watched the twinkling of the stars beside him, quietly, waiting, debating.

Perhaps an hour went by since she'd arrived. Steven hadn't said a single word except for the greeting she received when she appeared. He wanted to talk, of course he did, but…he didn't know how exactly to start. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to say it. How to start it. Steven's eyes went from one star to the next. It was the perfect night for this, so why couldn't he do it? His eyes closed as a passing breeze swept across them.

"Okay-"

Connie jolted and looked over to Steven, who was giving her an apologetic look.

"Uh, sorry-" he said, rubbing his neck. "Didn't mean to startle you."

They both laughed.

"Connie, uh…" Steven cleared his throat and went back to leaning on the rail. He was finally talking. Or, well, trying to anyway. Connie smiled at him and continued to wait. The stars shined in silence once more. The bushes rustled below them with another soft breeze. Steven took a deep breath and Connie watched him expectantly.

He twiddled his thumbs for a moment.

"Connie…I've, uh…I've been thinking about a lot of stuff recently."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about the past, about the present. The future…Do you remember when we met?"

"It's pretty hard not to," Connie stated with a soft snort. "We were trapped in your bubble for the whole day."

"Heh…yeah. Sometimes I think about that day. How awkward I was. How scared you were. How happy we ended up."

Connie didn't say anything. This was definitely _going_ somewhere. She didn't want to interrupt.

"You're so brave now. You've helped me get through a lot, you know? I-um…"

He paused to remove something from his pocket. Connie couldn't tell what it was, but she knew it was small. Steven covered it with his hands before she could get a better look.

"Steven, what-"

"Hold on."

Connie raised her brows at him.

"Er, sorry. Uh-" He pursed his lips. Back to the silence.

They were looking up at the stars again. Well, Steven was at least. Connie kept looking at his hands. What did he have? And why was he keeping it a secret?

Suddenly he was talking again.

"When I watch the stars now, I think about the future. I think about everything that might happen. Good things, bad things, neutral things. I think about my dad, I think about myself, I think about the Gems. But, mostly, I…I think about you."

Connie felt her face grow warm. She looked up at the sky.

"We really haven't known each other for that long. About four years. Those four years were…something," Steven continued. "I don't fully understand why you stayed with me all this time. I probably never will, honestly. Everyone but you, I guess, would have run away a long time ago.

"You didn't run away, Connie. You stayed with me through everything. When…when I think about the future, I think about you. When I _don't_ think about the future, I think about you. When you're with me, I think about you. When you're not with me, I think about you. All the time, you're in my head. I couldn't figure out why until I finally sat down and talked to dad about it."

Another pause. Another breath.

"When I think about the future, I think about us. I think about us, together."

Steven took his hand away from the object in his other, hesitated for a moment, then gently took hold of Connie's.

Instinctively Connie shifted to intertwine her fingers with Steven's.

"Connie, this is going to sound really cheesy," Steven said, in such a serious tone that Connie couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay. Go on."

Steven nodded and held her hand a little tighter. It was obvious that he was getting more and more nervous.

"Right, so. Um. Connie, I-"

His voice caught and he cleared his throat again.

"You're having a rough time with this, Steven," Connie teased, and Steven puffed his cheeks in response, giving her a fake-annoyed scowl. He was back to looking serious a moment later, with his eyes firmly set on Connie's.

"Okay. Alright. When-when I'm with you, I feel happier than I do with anyone else. I keep that happiness when you're not here. When I watch the waves on the beach, I hear you laughing. When I watch the rain, I see you dancing. When I look up at the stars, I see them shining in your eyes."

"Yeah, that's pretty cheesy."

"Oh, that's not the cheesy part."

Connie laughed again, but her laughing was cut short with a gasp as Steven revealed what he'd hidden in his hands.

He flipped up the lid on the little box, exposing a delicate gold ring.

"It was…supposed to be for mom. Dad never got the chance to give it to her. He, uh, he had it resized. He said he planned to get rid of it after that, but then…he kept it, for me. He told me it's for someone special. Someone you…can't live without. Connie…I realized why I think about you so much."

Connie's eyes were wide, her free hand covering her mouth as Steven got down on his knee.

"Ready for the cheesy part?"

All she could do was nod, and Steven removed the ring from its box.

"I know we're still…kids, but…I want to make a promise. I see stars in your eyes, stars that make up a beautiful, wonderful universe, stars that make up _my_ universe. That's what I realized. You're my universe, Connie. And I want to be able to call you 'my universe'." Steven stopped for a moment to slip the ring over her finger. "And, one day, I hope to call you 'Connie Universe'." He intertwined his fingers with hers once more. Now it was his turn to wait.

Connie laughed as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Y-you're right, that was re-ally cheesy" she choked out before kneeling down.

She reached out and held Steven's face in her hand, then pulled him in for a kiss.

The kiss left Steven frozen for a moment, then, once he came to his senses, he grinned at her, with that big, goofy grin of his.

Connie giggled and wiped her tears away.

"Steven, I'd be honored to be your universe."


End file.
